Holes where different tees give dramatically different views

[Victor Donnay]

I am a new member at GCA; this is the first thread I am starting:)


I am just returned from a great visit at Bandon Dunes. A recent thread mentioned the terrific view from the back tee at the short hole (5th) at Old Macdonald. I had only played from the lower tees before so this time I made the hike to the upper tee and the view was indeed magnificant.


Later in my stay I played Pacific Dunes. The ninth hole has a double green and on my previous visits the left/lower green had always been in use. This in turn leads one to the lower tee for the par 3 10th hole.  The view was ok but not spectacular and, given all I had read about the hole,  I was a bit underwhelmed by the hole. However this time the right/upper green was in use on the 9th hole which then led to the upper tee for the 10th hole. From this tee, the view was amazing, a real "wow" experience.


What are other holes where there is a noticeable difference in the view/experience between different tees? In designing holes, how do architects think about this issue?

[Ira Fishman]

Victor,


I cannot speak to how architects think about the question.  But as a golfer, I sure am glad that our caddie took us up to the back tee on Number 7 at Royal Dornoch.  The view is spectacular.


Ira

[Sean_A]

Victor

I am a huge fan of different angle tees being emphasized over length.  If the space is there, why not create these extra tees?  This is one of the biggests pluses for design which fly by night raters totally miss or rarely mention.  My club has several holes with very different tees which completely change the hole without altering the yardage very much...seven holes in total and more could be built. 

Ciao

[Tim Martin]

2,4,6,12,18(from 621 tee) at Yale

[Rob Hallford]

I always liked 6 at Kingsley Club for this.  From the back tee, I felt like I was staring at a hillside full of bunkers/fescue and a sliver of fairway to the left.  Up one set of tees, the view is more down the fairway, with the "hill of death" only there to punish a wayward drive to the right.  As a guy who likes to draw the ball, that back tee is absolutely brutal, not because the fairway is narrower (it's a slightly worse angle, but not terribly so), but because of the obstructed view.  Great stuff.

[David_Tepper]

A new tee was built adjacent to the existing tee on the par-3 13th hole at Royal Dornoch 3 seasons ago. The tee is elevated by about 3 feet from the existing tee and changes the hole very much for the better, as the view from the new tee allows you to see both the entire green in front of you and the beach & water behind you. It makes you wonder why that tee was not built many years earlier.

[David Whitmer]

Some that I have made the effort to either (hurriedly) walk up to take in the views, or to tee off from, include the 3rd at Bandon Dunes, the 18th at Pacific Dunes (that was in 2001...not sure that tee is still around?), the 4th at Royal County Down, and the 18th at Dismal River White. All great vantage points.

[Tommy Williamsen]

The par three thirteenth at Ballyhack is dramatically different from the various tees.

[Thomas Dai]

The different playing angles caused by different main season and winter tees can be interesting. Sometimes the winter tee has the more thought provoking playing angle. Same with what are traditionally termed the ‘ladies’ tees.
Atb

[Victor Donnay]

Thanks for replies. I have not yet played in Scotland but look forward to playing at Royal Dornach at some point. Re the "ladies tees". At Pacific Dunes I was fortunate to be having a playing lesson with golf instructor wizard Grant Rogers. On several of the holes that parallel the ocean, he had me tee off from the forward tees; these had the most dramatic views/angles. I wonder how many of us miss those opportunities because we would not think to tee off from the forward tees.


A dramatic example of different tees is the 6th hole at Cape Breton's Highland Links (http://golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/canada/cape-breton-highlands-links-canada-2/cape-breton-highlands-links-canada/). The regular tees give a straight shot down the fairway but the new championship tees give a long challenging diagonal shot over a marsh to the fairway (which I was thrilled to successfully reach when I snuck onto those tees one evening).

[Doug Hodgson]

The original opener at Banff Springs (now the 15th).  The most spectacular tee shot I have ever seen on any hole anywhere.  Everyone who plays there owes it to themselves to at least look at the hole from way up there

[Peter Flory]

I remember a par 3 at Tobacco Road that had many permutations with tees and pins.  #13 I believe. 

[Rob Hallford]

I remember a par 3 at Tobacco Road that had many permutations with tees and pins.  #13 I believe.

There are a couple of them out there, but I'm guessing you're thinking of #6.  It's actually the cover photo on the course write-up:


http://golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/usa/tobacco-road-nc-usa/


rob